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University of Illinois Athletics

2025 Football Roster

Illinois Fighting Illini

16 Tanner Heckel

  • Position DB
  • Class Sophomore
  • Height 5-11
  • Weight 195
  • Major Accountancy
  • Hometown Lyndon, Kan.
  • High School Lyndon
  • Instagram heckeltanner
  • Twitter TannerHeckel1

Biography

Pronunciation: HECK-uhl

2024 Freshman

  • Played in all 13 games as a true freshman, primarily on special teams
  • Two tackles (one solo) on the season

High School 

  • Played for head coach Michael Massey at Lyndon
  • Led Lyndon to a 13-0 record and the program's first-ever Kansas Eight-Man Division I State Championship as a senior, while outscoring opponents 267-46 during five state playoff wins
  • 2023 Kansas 8-Man Offensive Player of the Year
  • 2023 Kansas 8-Man Division I All-State
  • 81 tackles and seven interceptions as a senior, while also adding 2,313 rushing yards, 1,062 passing yards, and 69 total touchdowns (50 rushing, 19 passing) 
  • Won the Kansas state title in the long jump (22 feet, 11.5 inches) and triple jump (45 feet, 2.75 inches), while also finishing second in the 100-meter dash (10.96), and third in the javelin as a junior
  • Led Inman High School to two straight Class 1A state runner-up finishes before transferring to Lyndon, after his mother, Megan, took the girls’ basketball head coaching job at Lyndon
  • Three-time all-state in basketball

Personal

  • Majoring in accountancy

Statistics

Season Statistics

Season Statistics

No statistics available for this season.

Career Statistics

There are no statistics available for this player.

Historical Player Information

  • 16

    2024Freshman

    DB
    5'11" 185 lbs
    16
  • 16

    2025Sophomore

    DB
    5'11" 195 lbs
    16